Hill Cumorah Pageant cast pitches in

Wednesday

Jul 9, 2014 at 2:07 PM

By Tammy Whitacre twhitacre@messengerpostmedia.com

MANCHESTER — The Hill Cumorah Pageant returns for its 77th year this Friday and Saturday, and although the cast will work hard to learn their parts, they will also be out working hard in surrounding communities.Some 460 cast members, ages 13 to 50-plus, will invest over 1,800 hours on service projects for local non-profit groups. The volunteers will travel to Macedon, Palmyra, Canandaigua, Fairport and Ontario and work on planting, weeding, mulching, outdoor cleanup and more. Teams will be seen clearing the wooded area behind the Palmyra Community Library, painting and weeding in the Canal Park in Macedon, moving and washing furniture at the Pal-Mac Middle School and gardening at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, among many other projects.Sue Garrow organizes the service projects, many of which are on the list annually.“I personally do service because I can,” she said. “‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ I don't know the source of the quote, but I know that I have been blessed with much, and it is easy to share my time and talents with others.”These volunteers often work in the hot, humid weather of summer, Garrow said, as typically pageant time is quite warm. Because of that, Garrow said they work in the afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the pageant’s second week.“Sometimes the work is hard. Sometimes it is easy,” Garrow said. “Perspective helps.”The volunteers are broken up into teams of about 20 people, allowing them to get a lot of work done in a short period of time. The schedule also allows for these volunteers to see local sites, Garrow said, as many of them are from other states.Setting up service jobs is a year-round job. Back in February, municipalities received a letter seeking community service projects for pageant volunteers, but unfortunately many never respond, Garrow said. Word of mouth helps as well, she said. This year they were fortunate to have two new communities participating. Volunteers will be helping out the town of Marion working in the park and at the Shortsville Fire Department rebuilding carnival items.The ability to offer their services to local communities is important to the church as a whole.“I think it demonstrates to others that we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are not just self/group oriented, but that we reach out beyond ourselves with love,” Garrow said. “I also believe that if everyone developed an attitude of service and gratitude, the world would be a better place.”The world’s largest outdoor theatrical production, the Hill Cumorah Pageant, will run Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12, and Tuesday through Saturday, July 15 through 19 on Route 21 in Manchester. Presented annually by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, performances begin nightly at 9 p.m. with seating for over 7,000.The longest-running outdoor religious drama in the country, the first Hill Cumorah Pageant featured just a handful of performers in rented costumes using car headlights as spotlights. Since 1937, the annual pageant has seen many changes in scenery, sound recordings, special effects and costumes. Water curtains for vision scenes, explosions, earthquakes and fire balls all make today’s outdoor drama exciting for audiences of all ages regardless of their religious faith, said the church.To learn more about participating in a service project, contact Garrow at garrow458@yahoo.com.If you goWHAT The Hill Cumorah PageantWHERE Route 21, two miles north of I-90, exit 43, ManchesterWHEN Friday and Saturday, July 11 and 12, and Tuesday through Saturday, July 15 through 19 at 9 p.m. nightlyCOST Parking and admission are free.MORE INFO Call 597-58511, visit www.hillcumorah.org and on Facebook